What I say to people who say they don’t like the sound of the bagpipes is to explore and seek out quality recordings or players in a live setting.

You also have to manage a lot of things at once-it’s like patting your head, rubbing your tummy, and knitting a sweater at the same time. You have to fight against the pressure of the air already in there it’s like a full balloon. It’s about the “cheek power” needed to get the air into the bag.

Playing is not simply about lung strength.The drones are the three pipes that rest on the shoulder. The way that bagpipes work, everybody plays both melody and “drone.” The chanter in front that we hold works a lot like a recorder.Then, some bagpipers came to my church and played, and I insisted on learning, to the initial chagrin of my parents. Believe it or not, I got started with the bagpipes when I was a kid because in a children’s book by Richard Scarry, there was a dog that played them, and I thought that was really cool. I’ve been playing close to 30 years, since age 12.Patrick’s Day Parade ( ) in Dogtown on March 17. Listen to him and his mates blow it out at the annual Hibernian St. “The perception that we’re just out there honking away,” says John Haack, “that’s the hardest thing to get past.” Haack is the pipe major for the Saint Louis Caledonian Pipe Band, a group of precision bagpipers and drummers, and he wants you to know that what he performs is real music-and really challenging.

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